 Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate

Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate is a three-carbon sugar phosphate with an aldehyde group. It is an intermediate of glycolysis and of carbon assimilation in photosynthesis.

In glycolysis, oxidation of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate is coupled to reduction of NAD+ and incorporation of inorganic phosphate. This connects oxidation of a carbon substrate to the later formation of ATP, rather than releasing all of the available energy directly as heat.